Samsung recalls Note 7 on battery problems

It’s not the kind of headlines Samsung was hoping for. As Europe’s biggest consumer electronics fair gets under way, the Note 7 is in the spotlight but for the wrong reasons.

On Friday Samsung issued a global recall for the phone, which has only been on sale for 2 weeks. The reason? 35 reported cases of battery problems, some including the phone catching fire while charging.

Samsung said owners will be offered a replacement and for now the handset has been pulled from sale while the company checks the extent of the problem.

Samsung didn’t identify the precise battery problem, but Lithium Ion batteries are volatile and there are regular reports of them exploding or catching fire. As a percentage of the number in use around the world, it’s a minute percentage, but in the case of the Note 7 was large enough to trigger a recall.